The ‘Women Leadership Summit 2025’ has emphasized policy reforms to enhance women’s leadership, economic empowerment, and sustainable development. Organized in collaboration with the Confederation of Nepal Industries and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, the summit proposed a 19-point strategy including financial access, technology transfer, and institutional empowerment to promote women’s entrepreneurship. The event, held in Kathmandu on Sunday, concluded with commitments to guide women's leadership empowerment in Nepal through gender equality, inclusiveness, and innovation.
The conference featured discussions on key themes, including ‘Innovation and Inclusion,’ ‘Women in Sustainable Agriculture,’ ‘Investment in Women,’ and ‘Beyond Borders: Redefining Success: Women.’ Experts and stakeholders explored strategies to strengthen women’s role in economic and social development, particularly in leadership and entrepreneurship.
A central focus of the summit was enhancing financial access and technology adoption for women-led businesses. Under the proposed strategy, subsidized training programs will be conducted on financial management, technology use, and green technology adoption. Grants or concessional loans will be provided to encourage women entrepreneurs to integrate sustainable practices into their businesses. Additionally, digital and direct networking platforms will be developed to facilitate knowledge exchange among women entrepreneurs, the organizers said.
The strategy also advocates for creating place-specific business models aligned with international business practices to support women’s professional growth. A dedicated women’s technology policy will be introduced to enhance access to technology and encourage participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields.
In the agricultural sector, sustainable farming systems will be strengthened by promoting climate-smart agricultural technologies to increase women’s participation. Policy reforms need be undertaken to ensure women’s land rights and improve their financial access. Similarly, water resource management and integrated water management strategies must be implemented to enhance women’s involvement in this sector. The summit also emphasized improving digital market access to economically empower women's cooperatives.
To promote gender equality and economic security, equal pay laws must be implemented, along with tax exemptions, grants, and financial assistance programs to support women entrepreneurs. Additionally, stakeholders during the summit suggested the government’s procurement policy to include a provision to purchase at least 20 percent from women-owned businesses, creating new opportunities for women-led enterprises.
Education and skill development were also key areas of focus. The summit proposed expanding access to education and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) training to boost women’s competitiveness. Stakeholders demanded work-life balance policies, including improved maternity leave, to support working women.
Strategies Adopted by the Summit
- Grant-based training programs
- Support for access to technology
- Networking and knowledge sharing
- Local adaptation of global business models
- Technology policy advocacy for women
- Climate-smart agricultural technologies
- Equal land rights and access to finance
- Sustainable water resources management
- Integrated water management strategies
- Identification and empowerment of women-led cooperatives
- Equal pay legislation
- Support for women entrepreneurs
- Promotion of women entrepreneurs in public procurement policies
- Promotion of education and STEM training
- Maternity leave and work-life balance
- Redefining women’s success
- Demonstration and recognition of women’s achievements
- Building collaborative leadership networks
- Mindset transformation and gender awareness
